What If?
by JessieJay13
Summary: What if your best friend died, your boyfriend went into hiding, and you became a slave to the people you hated? How will she escape? Will she make it out with her life? How about with her heart? NOW HAS OVER 2000 READS! YAY!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

What if…there is always a 'what if'. What if you're best friend dies today? What if you fell for you're worst enemy? What if you're entire world fell apart before you're eyes in the time frame of just one short day…

It was Hermione's first year out of Hogwarts…or at least it would have been if Hogwarts was still standing. Voldemort had knocked it down and made it a school for the dark arts the year before. The world was in a terrible state. All muggles had been killed and purebloods now kept muggleborns as slaves. Harry had been killed fighting Voldemort but Ron and his family were in hiding as the rebellion.

Hermione was living in an all female 'mudblood squatter' on the edge of a large pureblood city full of mansions and castles. The squatter was made up of small, flimsy huts made of wood scraps, cardboard, aluminum siding and any debris the people living there could find and the whole area was surrounded by barbed wire. Hermione lived with a girl named Laura in a one roomed hut made of aluminum siding and cardboard. Laura had a three year old little girl who had been taken away to live with a magic foster family because she was half-magic.

The muggleborns were sent to serve a pureblood. This pureblood gave a description or asked for a specific muggleborn. Hermione was miserable in this new world in which she was a slave to the people she hated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

"Hermione Granger," a gruff, magically magnified voice called out across the squatter. "Please report to the assignment office, ASAP." Hermione gasped. She was actually getting assigned to a pureblood! This was the moment she had been dreading all year.

Hermione said a tearful farewell to Laura and walked stiffly through a throng of dirty, ragged muggleborns toward the only real building in the whole squatter. She held her head high as she crossed the threshold into the assignment office. A squat man sitting behind a desk eyed her maliciously.

"I am Hermione Granger, here to receive my assignment," Hermione said stiffly, looking the man firmly in the eyes. Without a word, he thrust a manila envelope at her which she opened. "No!" she whispered, looking aghast.

Hermione stared at the paper with her mouth open in shock and horror. Draco Malfoy had specifically requested her as his servant. Apparently, Draco's parents had died during the struggle for power and he now had his own mansion. Hermione would be enslaved along with three other girls.

"You will be shipped to the Malfoy manor tomorrow at 6am sharp. Gather your belongings, if you have any, and be in this office at 5:45," the man instructed in a bored voice, leaning his chin in his hand and staring into space.

Hermione turned and practically sprinted out the door and ran back to the hut, tears streaming down her face.

"'Mione! What's wrong?" Laura asked in concern, putting her arms around Hermione and allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

"My life is going to be a living nightmare! I just got assigned to Draco Malfoy!" she wailed. When she saw that this had no effect on her, she explained. "He was my worst enemy at Hogwarts." Laura patted her back sympathetically. She pulled away, held Hermione at arms length and looked her in the eye.

"Hermione Granger, you can get through this," she said firmly. "You are a smart and strong young woman who can get through anything if you set your mind to it." Hermione wiped her eyes and looked at her sheepishly.

"Thanks Laura. I knew I could count on you," she said quietly. She gave her friend a grateful hug and began packing her few belongings.

Hermione stood in the assignment office at 5:50 the next morning waiting for the train that would take her to the Malfoy manor. A single tear slid down her face though she took no notice. Her expression stayed in a look of resigned defiance. After a few minutes, a wizard sauntered toward her, a wand in his hand and a disgusted look on his face.

"Come on, mudblood. It's time to go meet your new master," he said nastily.

"I've already met him," Hermione said quietly, trying to keep the quiver of hatred out of her voice but to no avail. When he looked stunned, Hermione explained. "He was my rival at Hogwarts."

"I don't care about your school life," he said viciously. "All I care about is getting you to the Malfoy manor in three minutes or else I get fired. Now go!" He pointed toward a large, rundown looking carriage. Hermione stalked past him and sat down on the hard, splintery seat, her bag at her feet.

The man climbed into the front of the carriage, which had a large cushion on it, and tapped his wand on the side. The carriage sped off, bouncing and jostling Hermione into the shabby walls.

It took exactly two minutes and twenty three seconds until they pulled up in front of Malfoy manor, the white marble walls reflecting the sunrise, staining it brilliant pinks and purples. Hermione climbed out and straightened her shabby dress. She looked up and Malfoy was striding toward her, his familiar sneer firmly in place.

"Well, Granger," he said amusedly. "Aren't you looking shabby lately?" Hermione just glared at him. Her face showed nothing of what was racing through her head.

'_Was he always this handsome or is it just because he is the only decent looking man I've seen in a year? He really has matured…well at least his body has. His sense of sadistic humor is the same as always. His hair looks much softer than the last time I saw him. He is totally hot…wait, what am I thinking?! He is the one enslaving me like a house elf! He has been my enemy for nine years. I can't even like him.'_

"Come on, Granger," Malfoy sneered. "I have to show you your new quarters." He beckoned up the stairway, a malicious grin on his face. Hermione picked up her bag and followed him up the stairs and into the blindingly white marble entrance hall. He led her down a narrow marble stairway off to the side.

After about a hundred feet, the walls changed from marble to dark, slick stone and the floor changed to carelessly hacked out steps. He led her down the rest of the steep passageway and to a door with a large padlock on it.

"Your room, madam," he said spitefully, bowing her through the door. The room consisted of a small cot and a bureau with a small mirror on top. It was dimly lit by one small oil lamp on the bureau. It was bare and shabby to say the least, drab and depressing. But, admittedly better than her previous quarters at the squatter.

"I will send a house elf to show you to my study at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning for your assignments,' Malfoy instructed, then he slammed the door behind her and Hermione heard the distinctive sound of a padlock clicking into place. She placed her bag on top of the bureau and sat carefully on the cot, hoping it would hold her weight.

Hermione laid down and wrapped the thin, ragged blanket around herself, and tried to get some sleep. She would need all she could get to make it through the next day.

'_My life is going to be a nightmare…_'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hermione was awoken a half hour later by the house elf Mira shaking her roughly.

'Miss must wake up!' she squeaked. 'She will be late for Master Malfoy if she does not wake up!'

'I'm awake,' Hermione groaned, sitting up and trying vainly to run her fingers through her hair. 'I thought I was going to get to bathe before I met up with Malfoy.'

'Come, come, come!' Mira squealed, ignoring her protests. Hermione allowed herself to be pulled back up to Malfoy's study, noting the route the took so she could find her own way up, and was pushed inside again. Malfoy was waiting for her, sneering as usual.

'There you are, Mudblood. Just barely on time. Tsk, tsk. It is time for your bath, heaven knows you need one,' he said sneeringly. 'The bathroom you will be using for this bath, and this bath only, is through the door to your right. You will bathe and your uniform will be cleaned while you do so. You will find all your basic grooming tools in there. Go,' he said, pointing to the door.

Hermione tentatively opened the door and gasped. It was a huge room, made almost exclusively of gleaming white tiles. A huge bathtub sunk into the floor, almost big enough to swim in, a stand up shower, also very large, a large vanity set and a separate room for the toilet. It reminded her very much of the prefects' bathroom at Hogwarts. She pushed the thought out of her head. It brought back too many memories.

Hermione locked the door securely behind her (Malfoy was still a boy after all) and removed her new dress and her stained and ragged undergarments. She turned on a few of the faucets around the bathtub, experimenting with the different suds and perfumes.

When the whole tub was full with aromatic and sudsy water, she climbed in, feeling her entire body relax more than it had in years. The tension in her muscles began to melt away with the accumulated dirt of nearly six months without a single bath. It felt amazing.

She found large bottles of shampoo and conditioner beside the tub and began to massage them through her hair. She hadn't had real soap in almost two years so her hair was thick and matted with grime. She had almost forgotten what the texture of clean hair was.

She rinsed out the thick lather and tried to run her fingers through her hair. They got stuck half way down. Her hair was so tangled she couldn't even begin to try and untangle it without a real brush. She sighed and began to scrub the rest of her body thoroughly with a fresh-scented soap.

When, at last, she had scoured off every last bit of filth and dust, Hermione climbed out of the tub. Fluffy towels were waiting at the rim, once of which she wrapped tightly around her chest. She sat down at the vanity and stared into the huge mirror.

The girl that stared back was barely recognizable. Her skin was, surprisingly after being covered in dirt for so long, free of blemishes, her cheeks were hallow and gaunt from lack of food.

But only in the eyes was the change that had overtaken her clear. The girl staring back from the mirror was no longer Hermione Granger. Long gone from those once-warm, honey-colored eyes was the sparkle of inquisitiveness, curiosity and eagerness to please. Long gone was the happiness and love that had shown through in those cinnamon orbs. All that remained was an empty, haunted look, so deep that the pain and suffering they contained seemed to engulf you until you practically drowned in them.

It served to make her whole face seem somehow less than it had been, blank and vacant. Hermione was sure that, as soon as her hair was brushed, she would look the same as always, happy and enthusiastic, but deep in herself she knew it wasn't true. She had seen too many things, experienced too much, to ever have that look back. It was gone, and so was the old Hermione Granger.

She wearily picked up a silver-backed hair brush and began to pick through the thick mass of tangles on her head that she used to be able to call hair. It was difficult, slow work, work she used to do every single morning with no problem at all.

'_I could have done this in three seconds with magic,'_ she thought grumpily for the thousandth time about the thousandth thing. _'I was twice as talented as Malfoy and he knows it! That's the only reason that war ever happened: Purebloods were afraid of the muggleborns taking their place as dominant wizards. They were a dying breed until they killed off everyone else. They won't last long now.'_

And that was a very comforting thought. Lord knows, she needed some comfort. Harry was dead, Ron and Ginny were who knows where, and she was now in the possession of Malfoy! Any kind of small comfort was a help to her.

It took her about a half hour, her hair now entirely dry, but she eventually pulled the last snag out of her nearly waist-length hair, brushed it through once more, and set the brush down. One glance in the mirror was enough to notice something extraordinary.

Hermione's hair was no longer frizzy. It wasn't even curly anymore. Her hair was absolutely, perfectly straight! As she mused on how that could happen, she also noted casually that the effect was quite flattering.

'_Must have been all that dirt weighing it down,'_ she decided. She ran her fingers through it, relishing the silky softness she hadn't felt in years. It was splendid.

Hermione, tired of sitting there in a towel, looked around for her undergarments. They had disappeared. Instead, she found clean, decent undergarments folded nearly on a stool in the corner, along with her dress, washed and pressed. She slipped them on, feeling refreshingly clean and pristine.

A knock on the door rang out, making her jump.

'Are you done yet?' Malfoy's impatient and condescending voice called through the door.

'Yes, I'm done,' she called back, making sure to keep the deep, burning hatred from showing through in her voice.

'Well, come out, then,' he called back.

Hermione rolled her eyes, straightened her dress, ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed. She pushed the door open and stepped out, eyeing Malfoy with thinly veiled contempt.

At first, Hermione thought that she had done something to make him angry, but Malfoy only stared at her. His eyes were wide and unfocused, but the look on his face was unreadable, or at least unfamiliar.

'What are you staring at?' she asked warily. Malfoy seemed to snap out of his reverie and he looked suddenly furious and, was it her imagination, or maybe even embarrassed.

'You will not speak to your master that way, Mudblood!' he spat. 'Now go down to your quarters and report here at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning,' he ordered, pointing her out the door.

Hermione went willingly, eager to get away from the odd staring of the man. It was a little unnerving, if truth be told. She plopped down on her cot and sighed. She was beginning to get stir-crazy, even though she had only been there for one day. She needed a way out.

Hermione focused all of her energy on the little mirror on top of the bureau. 'Accio mirror,' she whispered. Nothing happened. She tried to channel every bit of energy toward the mirror and said it again. This time, the mirror scooted toward her.

Hermione stood up excitedly and walked to the middle of the room. She stared at the mirror again, focusing all of her energy on it, and held out her hand to it. 'Accio mirror,' she said firmly. To her delight, it flew off the bureau and straight into her outstretched hand. She squealed in delight.

She summoned the mirror many times, getting better each time. Once, though, it didn't quite make it and fell to the floor with a crash. She moaned and sat back on the cot.

'_What am I going to use for wandless practice now?'_ Hermione wondered miserably. _'Wait! Maybe I can do other spells! I can repair it and then keep breaking it and repairing it and then I can do all sorts of things. If I can do more than one spell here, I can do anything!'_

She knelt down beside the shattered mirror fragments, focused on them, and muttered, 'Repairo.' The chips soared together back into a rectangle but didn't reattach. She said the spell again and it once again became a whole mirror. She squealed in glee.

'Oh, I am _so _getting out of here!' she whispered resolutely. She placed the mirror back on the bureau and got back into bed. She began to make plans, no matter how advanced the magic needed. She was confident that she could perform any spell that she wanted to, wand or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Mira woke her up as usual the next morning. Hermione felt more cheerful than she had in years. She had a means to escape. She wouldn't have to put up with Malfoy's sneering face much longer.

Mira led her up to Malfoy's study and sent her in. She stood calmly as he gave her her instructions and went about doing them in a timely and polite manner.

Malfoy was stunned, she could tell. He would stare at her as she worked, wondering why she was being so obedient and lenient. She was a very good worker, efficient and courteous, even respectful. He didn't see how such a change could have overtaken her from the day before. Yesterday, she had been almost rebellious, glaring at him and not trying. Now…

Hermione glanced up from the books she was sorting to see Malfoy hurriedly looking away. She smirked to herself. He had no idea that she could still do magic, no one did. She worked silently in her room, trying to be as discreet as possible. In the meantime, she wanted to give Malfoy no reason to suspect her of anything defiant.

That night, Hermione worked more on summoning the mirror and repairing it and things like that. She wondered if she could do other things.

'Relashio,' she said, holding her hand out. A few feeble sparks flew out of her fingertips. She concentrated and tried again. 'Relashio!' A steady stream of gold sparks shot from her hand and hit the wall, sounding like a BB gun. She desisted immediately, looking around nervously to make sure no one had heard the sound.

Hermione laid back on her cot carefully, expecting that Malfoy would rush in and attack her at any moment. Nothing happened and she relaxed. She managed to get to sleep but her dreams were troubled. Now that she had found her magic again, she also rediscovered her old nightmare.

_Hermione was with Harry and Ron they were sitting under the big tree on the Hogwarts grounds by the lake, just talking and playing around like usual. Suddenly, there would be a huge flash and green light and Harry disappeared amid cruel cackling. She tried to scream but nothing came out. Ron put his arms around her and she leaned into him. Then Ron was running, running away from her with the rest of the Weasleys. Her parents soon followed. She fell into a dark void, tumbling down into nothingness._

Hermione sat bolt upright, sweating profusely and shaking. She wiped her brow and lay back down, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream. It had reminded her of long buried pain. She wished she knew where Ron was.

She couldn't get back to sleep so she tried some more wandless magic. 'Expelliarmus,' she said, pointing her hand at the wall. A jet of red light shot from her fingertips and hit the wall with a resounding _crack!_ She leapt back and looked around frantically again. No one came.

'Silencio,' she said, making an expansive gesture to the room. She felt for a moment as if she had been plunged into cold water but the sensation passed and she knew it had worked. 'Great. Now I can practice without attracting attention.'

She practiced stunning spells, disarming spells, even some of the more advanced spells. She even managed to conjure a glass out of thin air. She filled it with water using 'Aguamenti' and drank greedily. She was getting more and more confident with every passing minute. She cleaned the room using 'Scourgify' and 'Tergeo.' It made the whole place much less foreboding.

Hermione considered decorating her quarters but decided that it would be way too noticeable. It was bound to get Malfoy's attention, or at least raise suspicions. She settled for adding slats under the bottom of the cot to make it stable and repairing the holes in the blanket. Much better.

The next morning, Mira came to get her again, led her up to the study, and sent her in. She acted just as she had the day before. She didn't complain about anything, just listened and nodded respectfully. She knew that Malfoy liked obedience, liked to control people. So she gave him what he wanted, yielded to his will.

Hermione finished her chores early. She had discreetly used magic to clean the bathroom which shaved off about an hour. She needed all the practice time she could get, and what a better way to get it. As far as she could tell, Malfoy didn't suspect a thing.

But he did.

He had watched her work, noticed the speed and efficiency with which she did the ludicrous tasks he set her. He saw her go into the bathroom he had told her to clean, and saw her come out a few moments later. It wasn't nearly enough time to clean the whole room! Something had to be going on. But what?

Malfoy just couldn't figure it out. Magic simply never occurred to him. None of his servants had wands so how could magic be produced? Taking into consideration his superiority complex, he never thought that a Mudblood of any kind could ever be powerful enough to perform wandless magic, especially not Hermione Granger, the little bookworm he had hated in school. He just couldn't figure it out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Hermione headed up to Malfoy's study as she always did and slipped in quietly. It had been two weeks since she arrived at Malfoy Manor and she had fallen into a routine: Doing Malfoy's bidding without complaint by day, practicing her wandless magic and planning her escape by night. It was a system that worked surprisingly well.

Hermione was now so proficient at performing wandless magic that she was doing most of her chores by magic whenever no one was looking. She had slowly transformed her bed, bit by bit by bit, into a much more comfortable affair, but nothing else. Besides, only Mira came into her room anyway.

Even though her door was padlocked, Hermione had managed to sneak out a few times in the last week. One particular time had lifted her spirits so much she felt she could withstand anything. But it had also given her something to worry about.

Hermione had met Luna!

_FLASHBACK_

_Hermione pictured the padlock clearly in her mind, focused her energy, and whispered, 'Alohamora.' She heard a _click_ and knew it had opened. She slowly pushed the door open a crack and looked out. No one was coming so she slipped out._

_She didn't know if there were any other human servants so she decided to go investigate. It made sense that all the human servants would be housed in the same place so she crept silently down the hallway in search of another door._

_She found one._

_Hermione stared at the padlocked door, wondering who it would be when she opened it. The anticipation became too much and she whispered, 'Alohamora.' The padlock clicked open and she gave the door a push._

'_Wh-who's there?' came a quiet voice with a tremor of fear. Hermione pushed the door open a few more inches and looked into the room._

_It was much like her own, but without the slight alterations. A bureau, a mirror and a cot with a tattered blanket. That was it. On the cot sat a young woman with wavy blonde hair and big blue eyes. She gasped._

'_Luna?!' Hermione whispered, stepping into the room. The girl gaped back at her._

'_Hermione?!' she whispered back, standing up and taking a tentative step toward her._

_At the same time, both girls flung themselves at the other, so relieved were they to see a friendly face._

'_Luna, how long have you been here?' Hermione whispered, sitting her down on the cot. '_Why _are you here? I thought you were a pureblood.'_

_Luna looked at her for a moment before answering. 'I was staying with the Weasleys--yes, they were fine when I was with them--but we were found. They managed to get away but I was too slow. I was rounded up as part of the rebellion. They took my wand and sent me here to work for Malfoy.' She spat out the name as though it was poisonous._

_Hermione noticed that Luna's dreamy façade was completely gone. The hardships she had been through seemed to have robbed her of her fanciful view of life. It seemed a shame to lose that innocence._

'_I'm a muggleborn so I was living in a squatter. I was doing okay but then Malfoy specifically requested me as a servant,' Hermione said bitterly. 'Now I wish I could have stayed in my little cardboard house with Laura.'_

_Luna patted her arm sympathetically. 'How did you get in here?' she asked curiously. 'The door was padlocked, wasn't it? Did you steal the key or something?' Hermione grinned at her._

'_No, I didn't steal the key,' she said mysteriously. Without another word, she wandlessly summoned the little cracked mirror from the bureau. Luna gasped and grabbed her arm._

'You can still do magic?_' she hissed, looking positively astounded. 'Wandless magic?! That is amazing, Hermione! You can get us out! Please tell me you can get us out,' she said. She looked so desperate that Hermione nodded._

'_I'm working on a way to get out,' she said evasively. 'But I'm not yet. I can summon, repair, shoot sparks, stun, disarm, silence, make water, conjure a few things, improve things,' she listed, ticking them off on her fingers. 'Oh, do you want me to help you with this room? I've made mine a little more homey.'_

_Luna nodded and Hermione proceeded to make the same changes to Luna's room that she had to hers such as cleaning, strengthening the bed and repairing the blanket. Luna pulled her into another tight hug, tears in her eyes._

'_Thank you, Hermione,' she whispered. 'I had almost lost hope but now you've given it back.' Hermione hugged Luna back just as tightly._

_Hermione said goodbye to Luna, promised to come back and visit sometimes, and headed back to her room. She relocked the door and went to bed, doubts and worries chasing each other frantically around her head._

_FLASHBACK OVER_

Hermione had been visiting Luna almost every night the last five days, never getting caught or raising suspicion. But she had the feeling that Malfoy was suspecting something. He had to have noticed how well-behaved and spirited his servants were all of the sudden. There had to be a cause.

She had even been teaching Luna how to use wandless magic and they were making good progress.

_FLASHBACK_

'_Raise your right hand and point it at the mirror,' Hermione instructed. Luna did so. 'Now focus all of your energy on the mirror, on bringing it to your hand. It's just like you did with a wand, just without it.'_

_Luna scrunched up her face in concentration and said, 'Accio mirror.' The mirror did a feeble sort of belly flop off the bureau. She dropped her hand and moaned._

'_Oh, I'm never going to get this right, 'Mi!' she cried. Hermione shook her head and sat a tearful Luna down beside the fragments._

'_Look. Concentrate on the fragments and picture them in your head as back together, back into the whole mirror again. Now try to repair it,' she said encouragingly._

'_Repairo,' Luna said, her faced screwed up from focusing so hard. The fragments inched toward each other but didn't mend. 'Repairo!' she said forcefully. The pieces melded together to form a whole mirror again. She squealed and threw her arms around Hermione's neck._

'_Thank you, thank you, Hermione! I could never have learned all this without you!'_

_FLASHBACK OVER_

Luna was now working on the disarming spell and the stunning spell. She was much improved from those first lessons and Hermione was very proud of her progress.

Hermione, back in Malfoy's study, listened to his instructions and went down to the kitchens to make breakfast. This was a place that she used magic without trying so desperately to hide her usage. The house elves really didn't care if she used magic, as long as she didn't interfere with their work. Only Mira was worried about it.

'But, Miss, you is not allowed to use magic,' she would squeak. 'You will be getting into trouble with Master Malfoy!'

'Not if no one tells him I'm using it,' Hermione would respond.

Her plan wasn't elaborate or complicated. It was a simple hole. She had the feeling that Malfoy was keeping a closer watch on her than on Luna so she enlisted her friend's help.

'Luna, we need to get a hole,' she said to Luna one night.

'What?' the other girl asked, sounding confused.

'A hole. We need to carve a hole through one of our rooms to the outside. Then we can escape in the night,' Hermione explained. 'We blast a hole in the wall using our wandless magic and cloak it. Then, once we breach the exterior wall, we climb through it, cast disillusionment charms on ourselves, and sneak off the property. Then we can disaperated and find a safe place.'

Luna bit her lip and twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking apprehensive. 'Oh, I don't know if that'll work,' she said worriedly. 'But, just in case it does, I know a way of apperating to a person instead of a place. We could just apperate to Ron,' she said.

'That's perfect! That way we could find help without exposing ourselves,' Hermione said excitedly. 'If we manage to make it out. The grounds around the manor are extensive and probably have spells on them. But we can break them, I'm sure of it. I have a really good feeling about all of this, Luna.'

Luna worked steadily on the wall behind her bed, starting at a small crack through which light from outside could be seen. Hermione would sneak to her room every night and help out, and the hole was getting steadily bigger.

So far it was about two and a half feet in diameter and, after five days of work, about two feet deep. The crack was bigger now and they could feel fresh air on their faces when the leaned up close to it. Hermione nerves were mounting but she hid it carefully from Malfoy and the house elves. No matter how sweet Mira was, the rest of the house elves were ferociously loyal to Malfoy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

In all the excitement of the tunnel they were secretly digging, Hermione had come to terms with her enslavement to Malfoy. She wasn't hating him as she used to. She even held a little respect for him, how he dealt with all the house elves and the servants and things. He wasn't exactly cruel, just strict and a little rude. Controlling would be the word to describe him now, not evil.

And she had to admit that he was hot. And she saw quite a lot of him, as he spent most of his time watching her in the entrance hall or the library. She would catch him staring at her sometimes, which was both flattering and intimidating. She was actually beginning to like the way he looked at her, the unfocused and impressed stare.

Hermione found herself looking at him, too. She always rebuked herself thoroughly whenever she caught herself staring at him but she did it anyway. Once she asked Luna if she had ever done that. She hadn't and she was disgusted at the concept. So she didn't mention it again.

'Hermione!' Luna yelled, making Hermione whirl around in alarm.

'What, Luna, what?!' she asked, peering over her shoulder. It was 2AM and Luna was shoulder deep in the hole in the wall. She pulled back and gasped. For the moment, she was grateful they had put a silencing charm on the room 'We got through!' she yelled, grabbing Luna around the neck from behind and jumping on the spot.

'I know, I know!' Luna yelled back. 'We're finally getting out of here,' she said wistfully.

Hermione gave the rubble at the end of the tunnel and good shove and it fell away to reveal a starry sky and a lawn stretching to the horizon. She gestured for Luna to follow her, and crawled through the tunnel. It was almost at ground level at the other end, so they only fell about a foot. She straightened up and breathed truly fresh, crisp autumn air for the first time in weeks.

'It feels amazing, doesn't it?' she whispered as Luna moved to stand behind her, both of them staring up at the night sky they had missed so much. The other girl nodded slowly. 'Come on, we need to run until we reach the edge of the enchantments.'

And she began to run as fast as she could, with Luna in tow, toward the horizon. Luna was huffing and puffing but Hermione, who had done her fair amount of running at Hogwarts, was practiced in the art of pacing.

'Hermione…how will we…know when…we're off the…grounds?' Luna panted, trying to keep up with her faster friend.

'Look up,' Hermione said. She did. There was a kind of fog floating above them, blurring the stars and stretching down to meet the ground beyond their range of vision in a kind of semitransparent bubble. 'Those are the enchantments. We'll reach the edge of them eventually. Then we have to deal with crossing the boundary.'

They ran and ran for nearly a half hour. The sky seemed to be getting closer with every passing moment.

'I see the end, I see it!' Luna cried, pointing to where the bubble met the ground, barring their path. 'How do we get past it? Is it solid? What'll happen if we touch it? Can we get through at all?' she babbled worriedly as they approached.

The pair skidded to a halt just in front of the barrier. Hermione walked up and down its length, examining it closely. She stretched out her hand but--instead of performing any spells that came to her--she touched it.

Nothing happened. She glanced around, gulped, and stepped through it. She felt as though she had walked through a frozen waterfall, but still nothing happened. She was on the other side. Hermione looked back and, seeing Luna stalling, reached back through the fog and pulled Luna through to her side.

For a moment nothing happened and the girls just stood there. Then a loud keening split the night and Hermione clutched Luna's arm in a vice-like grip.

'Luna! Apperate to Ron, now!' she yelled over the wailing. Luna nodded and twisted on the spot. There was the awful sensation of being sucked through a very tight tube and, quite suddenly, they were standing in the middle of a huge field.

Luna looked distraughtly around the field. 'I could have sworn that it worked! We should be wherever Ron is right now.'

'No, no, I think we are,' Hermione said carefully.

'Hermione, have you gone mad? We're in an empty field,' Luna reminded her.

'Yes, I know that, but I think he's here, too. He probably used spells to guard and hide them whenever someone comes by,' she said, examining the clearing thoroughly. 'Ron? Ginny? Someone? If you guys are here, please come out. We just escaped from Malfoy Manor and we want to join the resistance. We know you're out there,' she called.

There was a moment's pause and then a small _pop_. Ron materialized in front of them. He looked shabby, his hair falling all the down to his shoulders and smudges of dirt on his face. He was staring at them as if he didn't believe his eyes.

Hermione stared back, took a step forward, and suddenly threw herself into his arms and kissed him. He held her tightly and kissed her back.

'Oh my God, I missed you so much,' Hermione whispered into his shoulder. He stroked her back soothingly.

'I missed you, too, Hermione,' he whispered back. Hermione pulled back and looked at him.

'Is everyone okay? Ginny, your parents, everyone? Any more injuries I should know about?' she asked worriedly. Ron shook his head, beaming at her.

'No, no, everyone's fine,' he said. 'We've been on the run the same way that you, Harry and I were when we went after the Horcruxes. Same spells and everything, plus a few extras to be safe. We have a lot more people to hide this time,' he said.

Then he noticed Luna, who was trying to blend into the foliage so as not to mar this emotional reunion. 'Luna! Hey! I haven't seen you in years,' he said, pulling her into a hug as well. When he pulled away, Luna was staring at him, looking overwhelmed and very tearful. 'Where have you two been all this time? Did you say something about Malfoy Manor?' he asked Hermione.

'Do you have somewhere for us to sit down? We've been on the run, literally, for a half hour at least,' Hermione moaned. Ron nodded and turned around to wave at the field. There was another loud _pop_ and what seemed to be a whole town appeared!

There were tents, tables, clotheslines, people. Many, many people! Hermione saw Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George with his one ear, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Dennis Creevey, Terry Boot, and many people she didn't recognize. She gaped at them all.

'You weren't kidding when you said you had more people this time,' Hermione muttered. Ron chuckled and walked into their midst. Hermione spotted Ginny and hurtled toward her.

Ginny turned to find another young woman flinging herself on her. She stood stalk still for a moment before realizing who it was. When she did, she hugged her back. When they pulled apart, both girls had tears streaming down their cheeks.

'Hermione!' Ginny choked out. 'Are you okay? Where have you been?' Hermione beamed at her through her tears.

'I'll tell you all about it later. Are you okay, though? Is everyone alright? Are you all doing well?' Hermione asked frantically.

'We're fine!' the redhead said, leading Hermione over to Ron, who was setting up a few chairs inside a nearby tent. Hermione collapsed into one of them, Luna into another, with Ron and Ginny sitting across from them. 'Okay, now spill!' Ginny ordered.

'Okay, so you know how I started out, because I was with you,' Luna began, sensing Hermione's needs to straighten her mind and get her thoughts in order. 'I got left behind when we were attacked and they sent me into one of those traitor camps. My wand was taken and I got assigned another pureblood to serve under: Malfoy, my favorite little Death Eater,' she added sarcastically. 'And that's all for me. Your turn, Hermione.'

Hermione took a deep breathe and began. 'Well, after You-Know-Who took over for real,' (she couldn't bring herself to say "when Harry died") 'they rounded up all the muggleborns and took our wands. I was put into a squatter. It was horrible! They didn't provide housing or anything so we had to make shelter out of anything we could find. Me and a sweet girl named Laura made a nice little house out of cardboard and sheet metal.

'Then Malfoy specifically requested me as a servant. This was about two weeks ago, after Luna went there. I found out where she was. And I found out how to escape,' she said mysteriously.

'How _did _you escape?' Ron asked, sounding impressed.

'We used magic to dig a hole through the wall and than ran for it,' Luna said eagerly. Ron looked puzzled.

'I thought you both said they took your wands?' Ginny said, looking thoroughly confused.

Hermione's grin widened. Without a word, she twirled her hand and conjured a glass out of thin air. Then she summoned a jug of water nearby and filled the glass. She handed it to Ginny and beamed at her stunned expression.

'You can do wandless magic?!' Ginny said, astonished. 'How did you learn to do that?'

'I can do it, too!' Luna said, and she summoned the glass out of Ginny's hand. 'Cool, huh? You just have to really focus your energies on what you want to happen. It doesn't always work but we've been practicing every night for almost a week.'

'But you only get really good at it if you're dependant on it. If you have a good wand, it doesn't work as well,' Hermione said. 'I suspect that our wands were broken so we don't have a connection to any wands. Our magic is uninhibited. It's the best kind,' she said with a smile.

Everyone had gathered round by now and they were all gaping at the two girls who had so suddenly appeared in their midst. There were small conversations going on all around them, many gasps and pointing fingers. Neville rushed forward.

'Hermione! Luna! It's so good to see you! I thought I'd never see you again,' he said. He pulled them up from their chairs and into a tight group hug. They hugged him back as they had the others.

'I missed you, too, Neville,' Hermione said laughingly. 'I'm glad to see all these friendly faces. I've seen very few for a long time.' Suddenly she and Luna were both being crushed by a pile of people hugging them, shouting greetings and questions. They finally shook them off.

'Guys, guys!' Luna yelled, finally getting everyone to quiet down. 'We've been deprived for a while. You guys have any food to spare? Maybe somewhere we can rest?'

People scrambled to put together meals and beds, setting up another tent for them. Their exhaustion, physical and emotional, kept them in their seats as they waited. They ate in relative peace, catching up with old friends and such.

Hermione laid down on one of the small, soft beds in the low tent the others had set up for her and Luna. Her elation and exhaustion carried her off to sleep. Her last thought before she let the peace of slumber wash over her was, _'I wonder what Malfoy's doing right now…'_


End file.
